I’ve been enjoying the Pacific Northwest’s excellent early summer – super long days, and weather in the 70s. Little Ethan is keeping me busy playing outside, but I’m also getting as much studio work done as possible. And to celebrate summer, I’m lowering my prices on a whole bunch of my items!

This includes many of my Doctor Who Tardis pieces and my new Game of Thrones inspired mugs and steins!

I’ve also done some spring cleaning in my studio, and pulled out a few older items and put them WAY WAY on sale. Time to make some room for new items! So I hope you’ll click over to my shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/jadeflower) to check out what’s new!

Hi, folks who may still check in here periodically! I know I’ve totally dropped off with posting to my blog here. What with taking care of a little one full time as well as trying to keep my business running at a somewhat productive level, it’s been really hard to find the energy and organization to write posts! It’s an excuse, I know.

So, to make things a little more instantaneous, M suggested I get on board with Instagram. That way I can take photos during my day (mostly work-related: ceramic projects I’m working on, in-progress stuff, and fun new stuff coming out of my kiln). Then, getting the content on-line happens right away! Crazy. (Yes, I know I’m super late to this bandwagon – I just never had a device that supported Instagram up till this point).

OK, so having a baby now doesn’t give me as much time to do the millions of things I have swimming around in my head. But here’s a project I absolutely forced myself to carve out time for.

The little guy is a big drooler at the moment (he’s almost 4 months now, so I guess teething is a thing that starts around now?) and he basically soaks through 2-4 bibs a day. A lot of the bibs that he was gifted (usually as a set with a matching onesie) are teeny, and not really very useful. But two that we got were basically towels with a hole cut out for his head. Ah Ha. So I decided to try my hand at a cute version – with a bow tie! Perfect for those “special” occasions, ya know. (Seriously, with wedding season coming up, not to mention just fun holidays and stuff, this little extra detail will be my one effort to cute-en him up).

Pull-over Bib with Bow Tie Tutorial
Materials:
>terry cloth (I bought1/2 yard at the fabric store, but you could easily use a towel)
>backing material (on my first bib, I just used another layer of terry cloth. on this one I used polar fleece)
>double bias tape
>stretchy rib-knit fabric for the collar
>colorful fabric for the bow tie
>thread, pins, scissors & sewing machine

Step ONE
Cut out your terry cloth and backing fabric to 15″ x10″

Step TWO
Cut out the hole for the head. My babe is about 4 months, and I wanted the bib to be somewhat snug while still comfortably fitting over his head. I made the opening diameter 5 inches. Positioned 2″ from the top and centered from side to side.

Step THREE
Pin together your two layers (right sides facing outward). Sew a 1/4″ hem all the way around, and radius your corners (I used a light colored pen to mark the corners as a guide).

Step FOUR
Trim your shape to about 1/8″ from your stitching. This will get covered up by bias tape later. Pin around the neck hole.

Step FIVE
Sew around the neck hole with a V stitch (or use a serger). Then pin your bias tape around the perimeter of the bib. (This is a pretty good tutorial on how to sew with double bias tape and not have it turn out all wonky)

Step SIX
Stitch on the bias tape!

Step SEVEN
Cut a strip of knit ribbing 2.5″ x 11″. Fold it in half and sew the ends together with a V stitch. Then fold the whole thing over like a turtle neck.

Step EIGHT
Pin the knit collar to the neck hole, matching the tops, bottoms and two sides. This will keep the stretch of the collar uniform.

Step NINE
Sew the collar to the neck hole with a V stitch, making sure the sewn part happens on the back side of the bib. (This was probably the trickiest part of this project for me.)
And there you have a functional bib!

…and here’s adding the bow tie detail…

Step TEN
With your colorful fabric, cut a 5″ x 4.5″ rectangle. Fold lengthwise, right sides facing inward. Stitch almost all the way around with a 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving enough of a hole to flip the rectangle right-side-out. Once it’s flipped right-side-out, fold in your opening hole, and then stitch all the way around as close to the edge as you can.

Step ELEVEN
Sew a tube for the middle of the bow tie. I did mine from a long rectangle 2.5″ wide, giving me a 1″ strip when it was turned right-side-out.

Step TWELVE
Pinch the middle of the big rectangle (like an accordion fold) and wrap the smaller fabric strip around it. Trim off the excess from the strip, and stitch it into place. Now you have your bow tie!

Step THIRTEEN
Position the bow tie pretty close to the collar and pin into place. Hand-stitch all around to secure in place (this will keep little hands from grabbing loose edges and pulling the bow tie off, with their orangutan strength).

And there you have it! Slip the bib over your little one’s noggin and enjoy the cuteness. (Pay no attention to the crazy-eyed daddy)

Something I learned while making this bib – terry cloth is MESSY! Cutting it will make a confetti of little cotton snow all over the place. And it will probably take a couple washings before the bib stops shedding them. Pbbt :-P

Today is my Dad’s birthday, and I managed to find a little time to break out my old set of watercolors and paint him a card.

You know, that homemade touch. :)

I haven’t painted for a really long time, but it was actually a watercolor class I took in college that made me choose Art as my major. Funny how things happen.

After trying to find a simple card on the internet to download and print, I just couldn’t find something I really liked. So what to do? DIY, baby!
I chose to make it simple and childlike – lots of bright colors for this hot air balloon.

I don’t claim it as a great work of art, but I think my dad will enjoy it.
A little pen outlining to finish it off…

And in case anyone else out there needs a fun and simple birthday card for their dad, I decided to layout a printable version. Free to download and print at home! Just print on cardstock, cut out, and fold down the middle.
Enjoy! Click to download: Dad bday Card

Wow, has it really been exactly one year since my last post? Um yes. Yes it has.
Believe me, I didn’t plan to be away so long! It’s been a busy year. But here’s a quick update on a couple of things ’round here.

First off, M and I moved from south of Seattle to just north of Seattle, and it’s a way better situation! We found a cute little rental house on a quiet street. It doesn’t have ants (YAY). It doesn’t leak heat (YAY). And the best part – which really sealed the deal for us when we were house hunting – is this big utility room connected to the garage that ended up being perfect for a ceramics studio!

Here it is all full of my stuff. It has super tall ceilings and a big window that lets in great natural light (something my last studio space was sorely lacking). Most of the time it is a huge mess in there, but it’s fantastic to have the space!

The second big event in the last year occurred right before Christmas.
M and I had our first baby. That’s right – we’re parents now!

Here’s the little guy…about two months old here:

His name is Ethan Quinn, and we think he’s pretty darn adorable :)

Becoming a mother definitely changes your life. In very real and practical ways (not to mention emotionally). It’s amazing how much time a little helpless person demands of you! Caring for a baby is exhausting, but it’s pretty cool to see him literally change and grow before our eyes. Every day, I can see the little gears in his head working and figuring things out. When he breaks into a smile, it pretty much makes it all worth it.

So as far as my ceramic working goes, I’ve reduced my hours to hardly anything. Every chance I get, I run out to the studio to do a little work, but in the grand scheme of things, I can’t get much done. But I’ve told myself I need to enjoy these early days with Ethan, because they go by so quickly, and he won’t be a baby for long. I hope that when the weather starts warming up, and he’s a little bit older and can entertain himself more, I’ll be able to bring him out to the studio and I’ll be able to work while he plays. We’ll see! It’s a learning experience for us both :)

Hi all! Just stopping in for a moment today to post a few pictures of what’s new in my Etsy Shop. It’s funny – for the past two years really, I’ve been so swamped with custom orders, mainly Tardis related, that I’ve had virtually no time to work on other things – to develop other art and products. I’m not complaining about the success of these popular items! No no. It’s just the reality of being a solitary person with a finite amount of time to work. There are only so many hours in the day.

But as of recent weeks, my backlog is finally becoming more manageable, and I’m actually finding the time to work on additional things. So here’s what’s new!
I don’t know if any or all of these will become regular players in my Jadeflower lineup, but I’ve been enjoying their development, and I guess we’ll just see how they play out. :)

Ceramic Dalek Creamer

After several request for a Dalek companion to the Tardis Teapot, I’ve created this creamer/pitcher. This is currently a made-to-order item in the shop, but I hope to have the time to build some that are ready-to-ship.

Dalek Creamer Tardis Teapot

And I even have a dorky little video to demonstrate the Dalek’s pouring power on the Jadeflower Facebook page. Check it out!
Next, continuing with the Doctor Who theme, I had been wanting to make very very small Tardis figurines, intended for terrariums, for quite a while. Here’s the newest (and smallest) Jadeflower Tardis!

Tiny Tardis Figurine

Each one is made of porcelain and glazed in the same blue as all my other Tardis items. I think they’re so cute! And the simplicity really appeals to me.

And my last item of the day is an Adventure Time creation! If you couldn’t tell by my last blog entry about bacon pancakes, I am a huge Adventure Time fan. So, expanding my repertoire of strange and interesting teapots, I made a whole tea set based around the character Beemo (BMO) who is basically a living handheld video game device. It’s hard to explain…

Beemo ceramic teapot and cups

There is an episode where Beemo is talking with his alter ego “Football”. He attempts to teach her how to drink tea. It’s adorable.

For 2 people, I found that 4 strips of bacon was plenty. If you’re cooking for more, or have more of an appetite, adjust accordingly!
I like to use the baking method for my bacon. It ensures evenly cooked, flat bacon, and you don’t have to keep an eye on it. Leaving you to do other things!
If you’ve never baked bacon, here’s how I do it: line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up) and fold the edges to contain all the grease. Place your baking sheet into a coldoven, then turn it on to 350 degrees, and let cook for about 15-20 minutes. (Check at 15, and leave in until it is the level of crispiness you like!)

Next! While your bacon cooks, mix up your pancake batter. Just your favorite recipe, be it a box mix or from scratch. My go-to recipe comes from my Joy Of Cooking cookbook. It is my go-to for a lot of basic recipes. :)
When your bacon is done, drain on paper towels and cut each piece in half.

cooked bacon and pancake batter

Then! In a pre-heated pan or griddle over medium heat, add your first dollop of batter.

First dollop of batter

Then while the batter is still mostly uncooked, place 2 pieces of your bacon on top. Gently squish them on in there.

…put it in a pancake

And finally, drizzle some more batter on top of the bacon, to totally encase them in pancake.

bacon, covered with batter

Then cook as normal! When you see lots of bubbles forming through the top, you know it’s ready to flip.

time to flip the bacon pancake!

The final stages, of course, are to slather with maple syrup and enjoy!

bacon pancakes!

They look like normal pancakes, but with a secret delicious surprise inside. ;-P

there’s bacon inside!

These make a decadent, yet very easy breakfast. And I dare you not to sing that song the entire time you make them ;)